Annual Report 2013-2014

Connecticut College
Arboretum
Annual Report 2013 – 2014
Mission
The Connecticut College Arboretum is owned by Connecticut College and
operated for the benefit of the College and the community. The Arboretum
functions in support of the College’s mission by helping to prepare men
and women for a lifetime of learning about and interacting with the natural
world. The mission of the Connecticut College Arboretum is:
Teaching
To provide an outdoor laboratory for use by faculty and students in
botany, biology, environmental studies and other departments. In both
teaching and research, the Arboretum is a unique and valuable academic
resource and support facility.
Research
To support and conduct research in a broad range of subjects, including
ecology, field biology, conservation and natural history. Arboretum research
emphasizes long-term studies.
Conservation
To provide stewardship of College lands by protecting, sustaining and
enhancing biological diversity of large tracts of open space. The Arboretum
also provides leadership statewide and beyond in conservation matters.
Collections
To maintain, develop and interpret well-documented plant collections for
teaching, research, public education and enjoyment.
Recreation
To provide a place where people from the College and the community
may enjoy passive recreation and where they may come to learn, reflect and
renew themselves through contact with the natural world. The Arboretum
enhances the quality of life both for the constituents of the College and the
citizens of southeastern Connecticut.
Public Education
To provide programs and publications about conservation, horticulture,
gardening, botany and natural history that enhance people’s understanding
of the natural world and foster an understanding of the Arboretum’s mission.
Photo by Sorrentino
From the Director
I will probably remember the 2013-14 academic year as a whirl of personnel
and personal transitions for the Arboretum staff. Sadly, we lost a longtime colleague
in Craig Vine who served for 36 years as our Horticultural Assistant, and had been
retired for 10 years. Another milestone for our small staff was the retirement of Assistant
Director Kathy Dame ’90, the leader of our public education and volunteer programs
for nearly 20 years. And Charles Cochran ’11, with us only two years, moved on to
new challenges as well. While honoring and appreciating all of their contributions
and commitments to the Arboretum, such changes do allow for the incorporation of
new ideas, projects and programs, and for energized newcomers to reinvigorate the
department.
Some of that invigoration began this spring with Mary Villa’s half-time positon as
Curator/Information Manager being increased to full time. This will allow Mary to
become more involved in our educational offerings and also allow for more students to
work with her as interns or volunteers, giving them a unique experience while helping
the Arboretum. Our new Administrative Assistant started in June and began enlivening
our social media presence by feeding our Facebook page and initiating our Twitter
account. These communication tools were immediately put to work promoting each
of our public weekly docent led tours of the plant collections, with goal of increasing
participation. When we welcome a new Assistant Director for Public Programs this fall,
the innovations will surely continue.
A new generation of faculty members is also finding different ways to use the
Arboretum, with a lot of activity from the Anthropology Department this year. Please
read on to get more details on the year’s activities and the people who make this such a
fascinating place to work and visit.
Glenn Dreyer
Charles and Sarah P. Becker ’27 Director
Glenn Dreyer leading the annual wildflower walk last May.
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Teaching and Research
Many College courses utilize the Arboretum during each
semester, and it is always exciting when faculty find new
opportunities for their teaching and research. This spring
Anthropology Professor Anthony Graesch introduced a new
course called “Ruins in the Forest: Applying Field Methods
in an Archeology of the Arboretum” (Anthro. 406). In this
intensive field course his students explored the archaeological
resources distributed across Arboretum’s Hemptead, Avery and
Matthies Tracts. On those 65 acres between the Thames River
and Route 32, the class applied basic and advanced surface
and subsurface investigative techniques in the documentation,
analysis, and interpretation of archaeological features spanning
the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Future
classes will base their semester’s work on other areas of the
campus/arboretum’s more than 700 acres.
Professor Graesch and Ethnobotany Professor Manuel
Lizarralde team taught “Experimental Archeology” (Anthro.
396) in which the class collected Arrowwood (Viburnum
dentatum) shrub stems in the Arboretum, fashioned them
into arrow shafts of varying lengths and test shot them to
measure their kinetic force and target hitting accuracy.
Professor Lizarralde also brought students from his
“Anthropology of South America” (Anthro. 234) into the
Outdoor Theater for them to try using indigenous hunting
tools including the atlatl (spear thrower) and bow and arrow.
Another new use, albeit a single field trip rather than a
course, was by the Classics Department. Our 2013 summer
curatorial intern Jo-ann Crystoff, noting the Latin and
Greek basis of plant scientific names, developed and offered
faculty and students in that department a well-received
tour of the Campus Plant Collection that highlighted the
meaning of each plant’s technical binomial.
Botany Professor Rachel Spicer offered a new take on
a core plant science course in her “Environmental Plant
Physiology” (Bot. 320) in which she specially emphasized
hands-on techniques and experiments. Professor Spicer
collected various trees, shrubs and vines for in-class exercises
measuring photosynthesis, hydraulic conductivity, and
respiration in woody stems. She also took students tree
coring to look at growth rates and annual ring formation
in the White Pine (Pinus strobus) stand behind Buck
Lodge. While some students chose to set up greenhouse
experiments, four students in the class conducted their
independent research project in the Arboretum, each
of which was summarized in a scientific paper-format
manuscript and a 15 minute oral
presentation. Projects included
a test of whether lenticels serve
to aerate the stem in Black Birch
(Betula lenta), and studies of
xylem sap flow in Sugar Maple
(Acer saccharum), hydraulic
conductivity and embolism
formation in Bittersweet
(Celastrus orbiculatus), and the
physiological effects of woolly
adelgid infestation in Hemlock
(Tsuga canadensis).
In the Introduction to
Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) course (Environmental
Studies 312) taught by Senior
Lecturer Beverly Chomiak,
Top: Prof. Graesch (center) explained mapping techniques to students documenting cultural
two students did final projects
artifacts, like stone walls, in the Arboretum.
Bottom: Prof. Spicer demonstrating the process of removing and preparing a tree core.
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Mary Buchanan ’14 with her poster describing her Honors
Thesis work with Arboretum long term breeding bird and
vegetation data.
that utilized the existing Arboretum geospatial dataset and
added new information to the growing digital library. Colin
Lang ’14 located potential areas to create early successional
vegetation habitat suitable for the New England Cottontail,
which is currently a candidate for listing as federally
endangered. Victoria Stewart used Arboretum curatorial
maps that locate individual living and deceased trees to
search for correlations between tree death and environmental
factors such as proximity to roads, paths and construction
projects. In the process she helped the Arboretum by adding
many trees from the most recent Campus Plant Collection
inventory to GIS maps.
After participating in Arboretum breeding bird censuses
during the summers of 2012 and 2014, biology major
Mary Buchanan ’14 spent the year working with Professors
Askins and Jones analyzing Arboretum long term vegetation
and bird data from the early 1950s to the 2010s. She was
particularly interested in how changes in the structure and
floristic composition of the vegetation, and of forest cover
changes in the region, related to changes in bird populations.
Her honor’s thesis was titled “Responses of Forest Bird
Populations to Long-term Changes in Local Vegetation
and Regional Forest Cover.” Some of her results indicate
adverse impacts on birds by the loss of hemlock due to
wooly adelgid infestations, and that floristic diversity may
be critical for determining quality of habitat for birds. Mary
presented her results in a poster at the joint meeting of the
Wilson Ornithological Society and the Association of Field
Ornithologists on May 31, 2014 in Newport, Rhode Island.
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
graduate student Jeffrey Smith utilized the Arboretum’s
planted meadow north of Benham Avenue as one of his sites
in a statewide research project. Waist high cages were placed
in a number of locations in the meadow early in the growing
season and surveyed throughout the year for arthropods.
Ultimately Jeffrey’s lab is trying to determine the effects of
development that surrounds grasslands and meadows on
insect and spider populations.
Arboretum Director Glenn Dreyer, Botany Professor
Chad Jones and a volunteer committee of 10 other botanists
produced the first new checklist of Connecticut native and
naturalized vascular plants published in 35 years. Utilizing
Arthur Haines’ 2011 “Flora Nova Angliae” and various other
sources, they organized and compiled the 240 page, spiral
bound book. It offers a quick reference on the currently
accepted scientific names and plant family relationships
of more than 2,800 plants, many of which have changed
over the past few decades thanks to advances in genetics
and molecular science that have clarified the evolutionary
relationships upon which biological nomenclature is based.
In August 2013 the Arboretum began work on a
contract with the Connecticut Department of Energy
and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to produce
recommendations and assessments for the development of a
management plan for the Barn Island Wildlife Management
Area in Stonington, Connecticut. Director Dreyer assembled
a team that included Professor Emeritus R. Scott Warren,
Professor Chad Jones and Ronald Rozsa, a retired ecologist
from DEEP’s Office of Long Island Sound Programs. The
first phase of gathering basic information about the site
and its history was completed by summer 2014, when two
students, Mary Buchanan ’14 and Jessica Wright ’16 began
working as research assistance to sample upland vegetation
and collect other information on site. The final report is due
at the end of 2014.
Prof. Lizarralde’s ethnobotany class pretends to key out a large mushroom found in the Arboretum.
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Public Education and Outreach
Wreath making workshop is always first weekend in December.
Free education programs for young people were once
again offered by Assistant Director Kathy Dame and
an enthusiastic group of volunteers on the Arboretum’s
Children’s Nature Education Committee during fall
2013 and early winter 2014. There were a total of seven
programs operated under the title “Let’s Explore! Nature
Activities for Kids…” on topics including turtles, weather,
felting, rainbows, and the always popular Pumpkin Circle
storytelling event at Halloween. Children’s programs
were not offered during the spring
due to Ms. Dame being on leave.
Adult education programing
for the year included a workshop
on the meaning of Latin plant
names, tree identification, spring
shrub and tree pruning, a geology
walk in the Arboretum ravine,
a map and compass workshop,
an edible seaweed workshop and
these perennial favorites: holiday
wreath making, a fall foliage walk
and the May wildflower walk in
the Edgerton and Stengel Garden.
Offerings during spring were limited
due to staffing shortages.
One highlight of the year
was the 11th Annual SALT
(Smaller American Lawns
Today) Conference titled “The
Joy of Creating a Beautiful and Bountiful Garden.”
The November 2013 iteration was the best attended in
years, and featured nationally known design consultant,
photographer and author Rick Darke, along with Bill
Duesing of the Connecticut chapter of the Northeast
Organic Farming Association, garden designer Duncan
Brine and horticulturist Cathy Beauregard. The year ended
with an engaging lecture about the cultural ecology of
Native Americans in Southern New England by Kevin
Geophysics Professor Doug Thompson led a walk on Mamacoke Island for environmental studies students.
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McBride of the UConn Anthropology Department and the
Mashantucket-Pequot Museum.
The Arboretum’s only regularly occurring programing
for landscape professionals is the two day ecological design
symposium which has been presented both at Connecticut
College and at the University of Pennsylvania’s Morris
Arboretum every January for the past 25 years. The 2014
theme was “Assessing and Reassessing Ecological Design.”
Featured speakers included the Darrel Morrison FASLA,
the “godfather” of the native design movement; Travis Beck,
Director of Horticulture at the Mt. Cuba Center; Nigel
Dunnett, Professor of Planting Design at the University
of Sheffield, England and Rebecca McMackin, Director of
Horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park. The 2014 program,
with 130 participants, was the best attended of any in this
long running series.
Less formal educational offerings from the Arboretum
included our volunteer docent-led tour program, which
provides free guided walks of the Arboretum’s three plant
collections every weekend from May through October. In an
effort to encourage greater public participation, the schedule
was shifted starting in May 2014 to Saturdays at 10 a.m.
from the traditional Sunday at 2 p.m. Preliminary results
indicated that this may increase participation.
There are also occasional special tours for various groups.
In early June about 90 members of the Connecticut Master
Gardeners Association visited the campus and took part
in three staff and docent-led tour sessions which brought
groups of about 20 people to the Native Plant Collection, the
Campus Landscape and the Caroline Black Garden.
In May, Professor Lizarralde gave a three-hour tour for
20 fourth grade students with teachers Hugh Birdsall and
Susan Hafler from New London’s Multicultural Magnet
School. The theme was ethnobotany – specifically how local
Native Americans used ten different native trees for making
tools, weapons, baskets, foods and medicines.
Being short staffed half the year also meant that the
annual photography contest “Capturing the Beauty of
Nature” did not accept submissions. However, thanks to the
generous photographers who over the last 14 years donated
prints that they submitted to the contest, a “staff favorites”
exhibit was mounted in June to coincide with Members
and Friends night. Nearly 100 select images from all over
the Arboretum were mounted in thematic groups along the
walls of Olin Science Center.
In June, the Arboretum hosted the second “Music in
the Meadow” concert in the Outdoor Theater. The show
was produced by Ben Parent, musician and college graphics
designer, and featured local artists The Meadows Brothers,
The Three Pack and The River Gods. Approximately 300
people enjoyed an evening of roots music under the stars.
Top: Professor Lizarralde with students from the New London
Multicultural Magnet School
Bottom: The River Gods on stage in the Outdoor Theatre during
the second annual “Music in the Meadow” concert.
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Plant Collections
The Niederman Garden directly south of Crozier Williams College Center on April 16 with daffodils blooming through a late snow.
As of June 2014 the Arboretum collections totaled 6,118
accessioned living plants representing 745 different taxa.
The combined living collections included 2,505 trees, 3,580
shrubs, and 33 vines.
Campus Landscape
Although the Arboretum is not responsible for landscape
maintenance of the main campus and athletic facilities, we do
have an active role in the design, protection and interpretation
of this 120 acre area. The small number of talented people
on the Facilities Management Grounds Staff do a great job
looking after a large area of intensely used landscape and
keeping it beautiful. Those individuals are listed inside the
back cover of this report, along with other staff members
associated with the Arboretum.
During the summer of 2013, Curator Mary Villa was ably
assisted by Jo-ann Crystoff of Mystic, Connecticut with the
inventory of trees in the Campus Landscape Collection and
with digital mapping using Arc-GIS. The inventory process
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was modernized this year with the use of a Nautiz X7 handheld computer and GreVid and Garden Notepad software,
which allows plant records to be viewed and updated in the
field. In addition, volunteer Allen Gauthier assisted Curator
Villa in a comprehensive study of all the oaks in our major
collections verify that all specimens were correctly identified.
Mary Villa, who has a background in landscape design,
also created a plan for the replanting of the teaching gardens
surrounding the New London Hall Greenhouse, which was
completely removed during the recent building renovations.
Plantings were installed in beds north of the west greenhouse
wing and beds along New London Hall and the potting room.
There were two additional garden projects on campus this
year. First was new landscaping around the completely restored
Steel House at the south end of campus. This small building
now houses the College’s Office of Sustainability, and one of
the planting features was a “no-mow” lawn. The second new
installation was a diverse planting of shrubs at the main (west)
entrance of the F.W. Olin Science Center.
Native Plant Collection and Natural Area
In August two rustic, red cedar log gazebos were
constructed in the Native Plant Collection. One is located
in the newly renovated Rose Family area south of the Laurel
Walk and includes a plaque acknowledging the generosity
of Linda Abel Fosseen ’69, who supported the renovation
of the collection and created an endowment for the nearby
Wildflower Garden. The other, undedicated gazebo is
located at the top of a slope overlooking the Outdoor
Theater and Pond. Both were designed and constructed by
Rustic Garden Structures of Bynum, North Carolina.
In spring 2014 the Arboretum received a collection of
45 native Willows (Salix) in 16 different taxa from UConn
Plant Science Professor Julia Kuzovkina. Prof. Kuzovkina
propagated the Willows from wild plants across Connecticut
and the Northeast for her research, and shared extras with
the Arboretum. She also donated two kinds of native Poplars
(Populus) and had previously examined the willows already
in the collection and helped to identify them correctly. The
small, donated plants were placed in the newly renovated
Arboretum nursery to grow on to larger sizes.
The boardwalk connecting the Edgerton and Stengel
Wildflower Garden with the Gries Conifer Collection was
smashed by a large fallen tree trunk over the Thanksgiving
break in 2013. Arboretum staff salvaged most of the deck
planks and replaced the damaged carrying beams by midwinter.
After three years of being used as a road and sewer
project construction staging site, the Arboretum field
south of Benham Avenue and west of the railroad tracks
was reclaimed and restored. Approximately one acre of
the disturbed field was sown with a Long Island ecotype of
Little Bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparius) from a local
Connecticut seed company.
NEW PLANTINGS BY COLLECTION
*New taxa in collection
Campus Landscape
Aesculus x carnea – (1) Red-flowered Horsechestnut
Heptacodium miconioides – (1) Seven-son Flower
Prunus americana – (1) American Red Plum
*Pseudolarix amabilis – (1) Golden Larch
Entrance Garden at Olin Science Center:
*Hamamelis virginiana ‘Harvest Moon’ – (2) Harvest Moon
Witchhazel
Great Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) and Large-flowered
Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) in the Edgerton and Stengel
Wildflower Garden.
Ilex crenata ‘Compacta’ – (8) Compact Japanese Holly
Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’ – (10) Henry’s Garnet
Virginia Sweetspire
*Juniperus communis ‘Amidak’ – (6) Blueberry Delight™
Juniper
Leucothoe axillaris – (24) Coast Leucothoe
Spiraea japonica ‘Little Princess’ – (14) Little Princess Spirea
*Viburnum dentatum ‘Christom’ – (5) Blue Muffin®
Arrowwood
Steel House Plantings:
Acer saccharum ‘Green Mountain’ – (1) Green Mountain
Sugar Maple
*Buxus microphylla ‘Tide Hill’ – (62) Tide Hill Littleaf Box
Ilex glabra ‘Densa’ – (11) Dwarf Inkberry
Caroline Black Garden
*Pseudolarix amabilis – (1) Golden Larch
Native Plant Collection
*Alnus incana ssp. rugosa – (2) Speckled Alder
*Aronia melanocarpa ‘Grandiflora’ – (3) Black Chokeberry
*Benthamidia florida ‘Cherokee Princess’ – (1) Cherokee
Princess Flowering Dogwood
Ilex mucronata – (3) Mountain Holly
Kalmia latifolia ‘Elf ’ – (2) Elf Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia ‘Nipmuck’ – (2) Nipmuck Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia ‘Quinnipiac’ – (2) Quinnipiac Mountain
Laurel
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The board walk between the wildflower and conifer collections was damaged by a large falling tree.
NEW ACCESSIONS (existing plants) Campus Landscape
NEW ACCESSIONS (existing plants) Native Plant Collection:
Abies concolor – White Fir
Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’ – Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Crimson Queen’ – Crimson
Queen Japanese Maple
Betula alleghaniensis – Yellow Birch
Catalpa bignonioides – Southern Catalpa
Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana’ – Dwarf Hinoki Falsecypress
Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea –- Copper Beech
Fraxinus americana – White Ash
Juglans nigra – Black Walnut
Picea pungens – Colorado Spruce
Populus grandidentata – Bigtooth Aspen
Prunus avium – Sweet Cherry
Quercus velutina –Black Oak
Quercus rubra –Red Oak
Styrax japonicus – Japanese Snowbell
Tetradium danielli – Korean Tetradium
Thuja occidentalis –Eastern Arborvitae
Quercus bicolor – Swamp White Oak
Quercus alba – White Oak
Quercus velutina – Black Oak
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ACCESSIONS BY COLLECTIONS:
Collection
Trees
Shrubs
Vines
Total
Taxa
Native Plant
1021
1255
22
295
Campus Landscape
1312
1880
7
420
172
445
4
213
Caroline Black Garden
Clockwise: Horticulturist Leigh Knuttel hand broadcasting Little Bluestem seed on the field south of Benham Avenue.
New red cedar gazebo in the Rose Family area of the Native Plant Collection.
Kraig Clark cultivated soil in the perennial beds along New London Hall and the Greenhouse, which had been severely compacted
during the recent building renovation.
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The late Craig Owen Vine, Horticultural Assistant shown on a vacation in Ireland in 2003.
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People
After ten years as the Arboretum’s half-time Curator
and Information Manager, and nearly two years as the
department’s Administrative Assistant, Mary Villa became
the Arboretum’s first full time Curator. This promotion will
allow her to get much more involved in expanding the use
of our plant collections in public and college educational
programs in all formats including the classroom, the field
and the internet.
Kraig Clark, Arboretum Groundsperson
Retired Arboretum Horticultural Assistant Craig Owen
Vine died on May 23, 2014 at the age of 77. Craig worked
with the Arboretum from 1968 until 2004, and while
earning his living doing landscape maintenance, his true
passions were drawing, painting and singing. Craig will be
fondly remembered by generations of Arboretum staff and
student workers for his sense of humor and especially for
his love of terrible puns. After retiring he was able to travel
to Ireland multiple times, and closer to home, he could
sometimes be found singing with local chorus groups, and in
a local Irish pub.
Christine Donovan, Administrative Assistant
Christine Donovan of Waterford, Conn. arrived at the
end of June 2014 to become the Arboretum Administrative
Assistant, a half-time position. She earned a bachelor’s degree
in English from Le Moyne College and a master’s degree in
Multimedia and Print Journalism from Emerson College,
and has previous experience in online retail communication,
marketing and risk management. In addition to processing
invoices, budget tracking and general clerical duties,
Christine has enlivened the Arboretum’s website (http://
arboretum.conncoll.edu) and social media presence, and
has contributed her considerable design skills to material
promoting our education programs.
Kraig Clark of Quaker Hill, Conn. joined the
Arboretum staff in November 2013 as a Groundsperson. Prior
to that, he worked in the College’s Facilities Management
- Grounds section as a crew leader. Kraig essentially grew
up in his family’s residential and commercial lawn care and
maintenance business, is a skilled equipment operator, and is
enjoying learning more about the plant world.
Kathy Dame ’90, Arboretum Assistant Director for
Public Programs took personal leave in early December 2013
and retired from the College in June 2014. Having started
in a secretarial position shared by the Arboretum and Botany
Departments in 1993, she shifted to fulltime with the
Arboretum in1995 when the offices moved to the new F.W.
Olin Science Center. Later she became the first Education
Coordinator and eventually Assistant Director. Among her
many accomplishments were the “Capturing the Beauty of
Nature” photo contest, the “Let’s Explore! Nature Activities
for Kids..,” programs and the Docent program that trains
volunteers from the local community to lead tours of the
three major plant collections.
Charles Cochran ’10 left his Arboretum Groundsperson
position in August 2013. Charles had spent most of his
student years working with the Arboretum grounds staff and
then was with the Arboretum fulltime for the past two years.
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The Arboretum Staff, summer 2014. Back row (l-r) Bryan Goulet, Kraig Clark, Christine Donovan, Mary Villa, Glenn Dreyer (with
Forest). Front row (l-r) A.J. Boyce ’17, Leigh Knuttel, Caitlin Persa ’16. Not pictured Avery Thomas ‘15 and Kevin Irakoze ‘16
Student workers, many participating in the College’s Work
Study program as part of their financial aid package, are a
vital ingredient for Arboretum landscape, administration
and curatorial operations. During the 2014-15 academic
year, the following students were members of the
Arboretum team:
Students, Summer 2013
Anne Kearney ‘12
Chloe Jones ‘15
Kevin Irakoze ‘16
Jo-ann Crystoff – Curatorial Intern
Students, Fall 2013
Avery Thomas ‘15
Caitlin Persa ‘16
Caroline Lucas ‘17
Christopher Giri ‘15
Colin Munson ‘16
Connor Grove ‘17
George Scarles ‘15
Grace Glynn ‘14
Kevin Irakoze ‘16
Nadiya Hafizova ‘15
Nels Christensen ‘14
Nicole Hogan ‘16
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Mimi Payne ‘17
Tandy Bryant ‘14
Timothy Hartshorn ‘14
Will Fetchko ‘15
Students, Spring 2014
Antonino Boornazian ‘15
Caitlin Persa ‘16
Christopher Burnham ‘17
Christopher Giri ‘15
Colin Munson ‘16
Elias Aquino ‘16
Gabriel Ryan ‘17
Grace Glynn ‘14
John Daniels ‘14
Kevin Irakoze ‘16
Kiersten Anderson ‘17
Nadiya Hafizova ‘15
Nels Christensen ‘14
Nicole Hogan ‘16
Thomas Redstone ‘15
Timothy Hartshorn ‘14
Victoria Stewart ‘15
Will Fetchko ‘15
Volunteers
People who participate in tours of the Arboretum often
marvel at what our small staff accomplishes with the large
area to manage and the varied educational offerings. Much
of what gets done is only possible thanks to a dedicated
group of volunteers who donate their time and expertise
in many ways. The docent program is key to hosting and
educating visitors at our facilities and is only possible
during convenient weekend hours thanks to volunteers.
Many of our education programs for children and adults
are also conducted by dedicated volunteers who truly enjoy
sharing their enthusiasm for the natural world with others.
The staff and the entire College express sincere thanks to
the following people providing outstanding service to the
Arboretum this year:
Allen Gauthier
Arlene Raymond
Ashley Hanson
Beverly Chomiak
Caroline Driscoll
Charles Tillery
Jennifer Pagach
Jim Luce
Joan Flynn
Jo-Ann Crystoff
John Cox
Kathryn Williams
Ken Graham
Kevin McBride
Kim Donahue
Linda Boodman
Lydia Pan
Manuel Lizarralde
Mike Wuenscher
Pam Wright
Rebecca Nortz
Richard Conway
Robert Sherman
Roberta Brouwer
Sally Taylor
Sandra Morse
Susan Munger
Tracy Burrell
Trish Helm
The Arboretum is grateful for the generous support
provided through the following endowed funds:
Charles and Sarah P. Becker ‘27 Arboretum
Directorship Fund
Endowed Unrestricted Arboretum Fund
Class of 1944 Special Projects Fund
A. Clayton Scribner Arboretum Library Fund
Sally and Roy Taylor Arboretum Endowed Fund
Arboretum Director’s Discretionary Fund
Arboretum Development Fund
Arboretum Plant Fund
Bolleswood Natural Area Fund
Gertrude Brown Memorial Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Nelson L. Buck Arboretum Fund
Arboretum Edgerton Memorial Fund
Lillian Dauby Gries ‘27 Conifer Maintenance Fund
Marjorie Holloway Endowed Memorial Garden
Sylvia Blake Harrison Memorial Garden
Maintenance Fund
Parthenia Grier Johnson Holly Collection Garden Fund
Daniel Klagsbrun ‘86 Memorial Garden
Endowment Fund
Mamacoke Island Endowed Fund
Betty Walther Memorial Arboretum Fund
Ann C. Wheeler ‘34 Endowed Arboretum Fund
Doris Edgerton Abel Memorial Edgerton
Wildflower Garden Fund
Lillian Niederman Memorial Garden Fund
Members
The Arboretum gratefully acknowledges gifts from the
following individuals and organization who contributed
this year either directly, or through the establishment of
endowment funds which provide support every year. We
strive to accurately maintain our records and appreciate
receiving corrections.
Patrons
Johnson, Michael & Ann
Morton, Joanne McKean
Sylvan Nursery, Inc.
Urban Forestry Organization
Van Sloun Foundation
Fosseen, John & Linda Abel
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Assistant Director Kathy Dame ’90 (center) with (l-r) long time volunteers Dick Conway, Caroline Driscoll, Roberta Brouwer and
Allen Gauthier
Sponsors
American Rhododendron Society
Arkava, Harold
Dearborn, Deborah
Dutcher, Craig C.
Dreyer, Glenn & Wendy
Enders, Anthony & Elizabeth
McGeorge, William
Moulton, David
Parnall, Ruth & Walker, Donald L.
Record, Stephen & Mary Sue
Reynolds, Elizabeth F.
Rotch, Susan
Ryder, Thomas S
Taylor, Sally
Tuttle, Hazel F.
Supporting, Families, Individuals and Organizations
Allen, Renee Mercaldo
Anderson, Nancy
Ansel, Carol M.
Askins, Robert
Augustiny, Mary E.
Babbitt, Eleanor C.
Barnes, Phillip
Baudro, Mary C.
Bischoff, Terry
Blair, Diana
14
Boodman, Linda R.
Bowen, Leila K
Branford Garden Club, Inc.
Brensilver, Howard
Calabretta, Claire
Clark, Joseph
Clayton, Christina
Copp, Eugenie
Cox, John & Katha
Cressman, Felise T
Crosby, Howard & Phyllis
Crosby, Rebecca T.
Davies, Judith
DeLaura, L. Joyce
Donovan, Deborah J.
Doyle, Pauline M.
Driscoll, Caroline K.
Duck River Garden Club of Old Lyme
Eastwood, Marylin
Flynn, Ken & Joan
Gauthier, Allen R.
Glastonbury Garden Club
Hafner, Prescott W
Hamsher, Gail
Harvey, Ann Tracy
Hayes, Christie M.
Henderson, Adelaide
Hernandez, Robert W
Homeier, Jean Gries
Hrusa, Dennis
Isbister, Anne H.
Jerbert, Jean
Johnson, Kate
Kaczorowski, Margaret Steele
Kelly, Shannon
Kovach, Eva
Kraynak, Susan L.
Krusen, Gordon
Lambert, Kristin & Brian
Lantz, Paul & Kathy
Legg, Bonnie
Leonard, Wardwell & Viola
Lewis, Barbara
Lindberg, Amanda A.
Longwood Gardens Library
Malootian, Markay
Manning, Gloria & Ronald
Marston, William
Masi, Nanette B.
McCabe, Maureen & Andersen, Jeffrey
McCallum, Candice
McGuire, James & Ellen
Moore, Christina
Morse, Sandra
Myers, Sally & Bob
Nalwalk, Anne H.
Nickerson, Judith W.
North Stonington Garden Club
Noyes Family
Pan, Lydia C.
Penniman, Chris
Pinson, Betty A.
Ricci, Richard C. & Fawn Walker
Richards, Susan G.
Robinson, James T.
Roper, Peter & Terri
Schlesinger, Gabriella
Solomon, Janis
Stutts, Susanne M.
Susan H. Munger
Sutphen, Eunice
Thames River Garden Club
Twigg, Martha B.
Van Dine, Catherine & Pieter
Walsh, Louise S.
Walther, David C.
West Hartford Garden Club
Westport Garden Club
Wetmore, Eleanor L.
Williams, Barbara P.
Williams, John & Kathryn
Wolf, Edward
Nels Christiansen’14, dedicated student employee, with a
rather large mushroom.
15
Connecticut College
James F. Berrien ’74, Chair, Board of Trustees
Leo I. Higdon, Jr., President
Katherine Bergeron, President
Roger L. Brooks, Dean of Faculty
Arboretum Staff
Glenn D. Dreyer MA’83, Director
Katherine T. Dame ’90, Assistant Director for Public Programs
Leigh Knuttel, Horticulturist
Bryan L. Goulet, Senior Groundsperson
Charles Cochran’10, Groundsperson
Kraig Clark, Groundsperson
Mary Villa, Curator/Information Manager, Admin. Assistant
Associates
Robert A. Askins, Research Associate
Phillip T. Barnes, Research Associate
Beverly A. Chomiak, Research Associate
John W. Deering, Earth Management Consultant
Pamela G. Hine MA’84, Research Associate
Chad C. Jones, Research Associate
Manuel Lizarralde, Research Associate
Stephen H. Loomis, Research Associate
T. Page Owen, Research Associate
Douglas M. Thompson, Research Associate
R. Scott Warren, Research Associate
Campus Grounds Staff
James Luce, Grounds Supervisor
Al Benvenuti, Groundsperson
Lewis Bowker, Arborist
Mike Campagna, Groundskeeper
Nick Korenkiewicz
Lynn Manza, Groundskeeper
Kevin Marshall, Groundsperson
Tom Nazarko, Groundsperson
Zigmund Korenkiewicz, Groundsperson
Joe Serwinski, Senior Groundskeeper
George Yuhas, Head Mechanic
16